Parish Profile: Judy Godfrey, Senior Warden

by Judy Godfrey

Larry and I have been attending CHR for nearly 23 years. We moved here from Shreveport, Louisiana where we were active at St. Mark’s Cathedral and played in the Hand Bell Choir. We immediately joined CHR, being active in different areas. We both joined the Canterbury Bells under Conrad Bratton’s lead and are still active under Susie Rockett’s enthusiastic direction. I was on the Vestry about 18 years ago when Scott Mayer was Rector. More recently Luke Back asked me to chair the renovation of the old Parish Hall into the Julia Jones Matthews Sacred Music Center. What a joy to see this beautiful musical space evolve.

I am from Southern California and was raised Catholic. Larry is from College Station and was raised in the Christian Church. As students at TCU, we chose the Episcopal Church and were married as students at Trinity Episcopal Church. We have lived in many states and in England as Larry was in the Air Force (though never stationed at Dyess). We have three grown children and one granddaughter, Lu Godfrey. I entered the museum profession at the Meadows Museum and taught in the Art Department at Centenary College of Louisiana. In 1997, Dr. Jess Fletcher recruited me for the position as Director at the Grace Museum. We have never looked back. After a 27 year-museum-career, I transitioned into a part-time art appraisal career and retired early to help our son and daughter-in-law with Lu, who has Cystic Fibrosis and was very sick as a child. She is almost 17 years old now and healthy thanks to the drug Kalydeco that was developed to address a cause of CF. We are so blessed with her better health.

Heavenly Rest is “home.” Not only to us, but to many who have just recently joined or those who have a lifetime of memories in this holy place. The architecture nourishes my soul and the vibrant programs keep us all busy. The call to be Senior Warden as our transformational leader in David Romanik takes us on to exciting new directions and experiences is a blessing I could never have imagined. Thank you all for your past and future support. Please say “yes” when you are asked to serve.